It is so easy to become captured by the busyness of life. We get so consumed by the external that we tend to neglect the internal. We can easily be distracted by detail, forgetting that we are God's creation, formed by His hand, for His reason and purpose.
We wrote this post to remind ourselves that we need to take the time and energy to care for our core.
We tend to take care of things that are important to us. The furnace gets a filter; the car gets an oil change; the bill gets paid; the lawn gets mowed; the body occasionally gets exercised and fed healthy food; the teeth get brushed, etc.
Each possession we have has its unique care guide. For example, according to IconicJewerly.com, the best way to clean most (but not all) gemstones is “to let them soak for 10-15 minutes in warm water with a mild dish soap detergent that doesn't contain bleach and then gently brush them with a soft brush. Afterward, rinse them under cold water and dry them with a soft cloth.”
The bullets formed from the above might read: “Prepare” (warm water and soap), “let soak,” “gently brush,” “rinse,” and “softly dry.”
As we are the gem of God's creation, we thought it appropriate to draw the similarity to our spiritual care. What follows is simply our stab at the basic elements of keeping clean and polished in the most important part of our being.
Prepare
Like with most projects we tackle, preparation is key. Being prepared means getting one’s head in the game. We have found isolating ourselves in a quiet space, void of distraction, sets the right tone. As necessary, we must clear our minds of the human, the best we can, and come to a place of calm and clarity. This could be supported by soft music or simply sitting quietly. The objective is to clear out the noise. To bring ourselves to the point of openness is the objective.
Soak it in
Once ready to hear, we immerse our minds into His promises. Our soapy water is a song of hope, a devotional reading or scripture, and others a sermon we found online. This part of the cleansing process guides us gently to the message we hope will carry us throughout our day.
Scrub it thoroughly
This element is where we need some effort, requiring us to get tough with what we think versus what He thinks. This is where we replace shame, regret, and remorse with the truths of redemption, forgiveness, and unconditional love. We must scrub the debris off the human, allowing it to dilute into the murky water we will leave behind.
Cleansing Rinse
Like through baptism, we rinse ourselves clean of our past. This makes so much sense; if we don’t thoroughly rinse out after showering, we will continue to wear the dirt all day.
We spend time in prayer, praying until we are right. Sometimes this takes seconds, sometimes minutes, and sometimes it could take up to an hour. The point is not to rush through it but to ensure we come out clean.
Dry to polish
This is the final step, where we clear off the water spots and reflect on the application of our meditation. We usually find ourselves reconnecting with our day and figuring out how to interweave our hope into the hassles we face.
Show it off
This method works if worked thoroughly. We are left clean and shiny. We walk away with the certainty that the things of this world pale in comparison to our true purpose and the meaning of our existence.
Our heart breaks for the dirtied gem, and our call becomes sharing the good news that we don't have a monopoly on hope and that the opportunity to cleanse and shine belongs to everybody.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from asweunderstandhim.coffee podcast “Introduction to Rooted” The podcast dropped on 7/4/2023. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Yuri Bodrikhin on Unsplash
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